In 2010, Antonio Brown was a 6th round pick out of Central Michigan University, drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his rookie year Brown had only 16 receptions for 167 yards. Next year he broke through, establishing his presence as a threat on this offense, catching 69 passes for 1108 yards and returning punts for 325 yards and one touchdown. At 5’10” tall and 186 lbs he’s not ideal for a wide receiver in the NFL. But that hasn’t seemed to stop him yet. Through 10 games this year, he has had 74 receptions for 952 yards and five touchdowns. He also has returned 18 punts for 236 yards this season.
On the September 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Brown was targeted only three time in the first half with two catches for 35 yards. He was targeted only six times in the second half. Could the Steelers 4 and 6 record be due to the lack of passes in Browns direction? Rumors have said that during the second half of Sunday’s game against the Bengals, Brown confronted his offensive coordinator on the side lines complaining he wasn’t getting enough chances to make plays. Although there was no video footage of the incident, the pattern of the game indicated something was off.
As one of the highest paid players on the team with a consistent high percentage of the catches made, one would think Brown would be getting more, or as many passes thrown his way than his fellow starter Emmanuel Sanders. Brown is indeed a top quality receiver. Nobody disputes that Brown is a play maker, possibly the team’s best receiver. Brown always seems to find a way to make those great, athletic catches against some of the game’s best corners.
Brown is establishing himself as one of the best route runners in the NFL and he is only getting better. With his 452 yards, Brown is on pace to break Yancey Thigpen’s 16-year-old team record and is also in the running for Hines Ward’s 11-year-old record of 112 catches in a season. If Brown can manage his current pace, he’ll be on track to finish the year with 118 receptions and over 1,500 yards.
Brown’s role as punt returner isn’t too bad either. He has a 13.1 yard return average and is ranked fourth highest in the NFL. Keeping this pace, he will end the season with another career high mark. Brown is a well rounded player who has many years of stardom ahead of him. While Brown continues to be one of the more electric players on the Steelers roster, he is becoming a very powerful force on the team. Although Brown my only have five touchdowns so far this year, he is still very valued on the grid iron. One reason for his lack of touchdowns is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has several options to choose from.
The Steelers aren’t the strongest team when it comes to offense, but Brown’s persistence and hustle on the field shows off his excellent ability and all-around play making qualities, that not only make him an asset to his team but also a player you can count on to make the plays when needed.
